To Love a Demon Fox
by Alaska
Summary: Naruto nearly broke the seal in the Haku arc. However, he was stopped by taking a mere glance of Haku's face...... What if the seal had broken? [NEW Chp. 12 up!]
1. Default Chapter

Hey! Alaska here. I have recently started watching Naruto and absolutely love it. I was rather disappointed the way Naruto reverted back to his normal self while fighting Haku and decided to alter that a little. ^^ You are in the presence of a major Ninetails fan here.  
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The wind rushed in a dangerous and deadly tornado of fire, the coloring of the hottest flames of fire, a deep orange and red. A youko head seem to shape itself from the fire swirling around a certain pinpoint where a small once human crouched over the body of his beloved friend and rival. It growled low in its throat before fading into the firey depths of the chakra swirling in a fiery haze around the fox boy.  
  
Eyes as blue as the afternoon sky on a cloudless sunny day turned a deadly crimson, as red as when mortal blood coats the ground in a blood bath. Human like round pupils stretched themselves vertically to mear slits in the crazed red haze. Long canines grew to an inhuman size, poking out the corners of the number one loudmouth ninja's usually cheerful mouth, the lips now pulled back in a fearsome snarl.  
  
Claws grew from the boy's fingernails, sharper than any blade in the entire universe and stronger than any substance on that planet. Human senses became sharper, as sharp as demon fox's and beyond. The face seemed to get sharper and more edged, the odd six lines, three on each cheek, stretched farther as the eyes grew a sinister and revengful look.  
  
Those insane eyes searched before landing directly on a mask faced boy standing shocked in a mirror. Those lips pulled back even more in an evil smile that would cause any fighter on the earth to cower in fear or bolt. Those bulky muscles shifted to completely face the terrified reflection. Those human ears shrinking and returning to normal size, tips of fur poking out of the top of his head in rythm to the shrinking. Those eyes filled with the pain of loosing a treasured pack mate at the hands of an enemy. This enemy would pay severly.  
  
The crazed fox-ninja lifted his head and let out an earth shattering howl.  
  
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Kakashi let out a muffled gasp, his eyes widening considerably and causing him to loose concentration. The seal......the seal put on Naruto to prevent exactly what was happening now.....It was going to break, he knew it. How could this happen? What the hell had caused Naruto to become so upset as to borrow the demon fox's chakra and possibly its body? No matter now, he needed to stop it before it got out of hand. Whipping out a seal, he began chanting in a low voice, hoping that this seal would be enough to stop Zabuza in order to completely seal the spirit fox.  
  
Chanting faster, he felt the chakra in the direction of Haku rise considerably. The icy mirrors cracked one by one and snapping into a million pieces. Out of one of the mirrors materialized the stunned Haku. The icy fragments showered the ground around it, the pure heat of the fox's chakra causing the fog to completely evaporate into the air and allowing Kakashi full view of what was happening.  
  
The chakra seemed to have settled the slightest bit, allowing full view of a very pissed off fox-ninja crouching protectively over what appeared to be.....Sasuke's body, and it wasn't moving. Naruto's eyes were wide and overflowing with pure fury, staring right into the shocked eyes of Haku, who was beyond thinking capability, otherwise he would have been hightailing it outta there.  
  
An ear-shattering howl caught his ears and Kakashi began to panic, though it didn't show on his face. Once the seal broke, there was no telling what would happen if it did. There was always the slighest chance that through Naruto would be the fox, that he would recognize them and NOT go on a rampage. They would only now when it broke...... He knew the powerful seal would dissipate soon and there was nothing he could do to stop it......  
  
Sakura shakily watched the events unfolding where the inferno swirled around the two boys, one snarling at what appeared to be the shaking body of the boy who started the whole mess. The irritating blonde ninja was just plain scary. Never had she seen him get this angry in the time she had known him. She began trembling at the shear velocity of his gaze when Naruto turned his full fledged scarlet eyes right onto Haku's only after flickering past hers.  
  
Those eyes......they're nothing like Naruto's, They are so full of fury....there is nothing left of the kindness and cheerfullness that is always there. It is like he isn't even there anymore. What the hell is going on here?!  
  
Suddenly Kakashi whirled to the clearing where flames now shot up and around where Naruto was, hotter than ever before.  
  
The seal had broken.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Oh I am soo evil. OK guys! Tell me what you think! 


	2. Chp 2 Naruto Gains His New Form

I thank you all for your wonderful reviews! You have made my day and I  
would like to celebrate the last day of my school by posting the next  
chapter!  
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The seal had broken  
  
Naruto's whole body seemed to contort in pain. A pulse seemed to radiate from him after the sudden rush of an immense chakra surge. More fire seemed to materialize in a swirling mass, knocking everything and anything ten feet away from the enraged fox spirit. Howling, the fox was in pain, the shift of one body to the other causing immense pain to the sight of any onlooker.  
  
His human like ears were the first ones to go. They shrunk to nothingness on the side of his head as small patches of fur seemed to replace their positions. To small brown pinpricks grew rapidly from the top of his head into full fledged fox ears. Long and extremely acute, these ears swiveled on his head, catching any and all sound that would cause a threat.  
  
Clawed fingers grew closer together, morphing themselves into large brown paws. Fur grew in patches downward along the arm and down to the fox paws. Naruto's thigh grew rounder and bent backwards into a haunch as the lower part of his leg, his shin, lengthened to form a backleg of a certain demon fox.  
  
From the rear, sprouted a tail, a long tail that waved in the air and poofed out when it gained the fur, showing the owner of that tail was in immense pain. It didn't stop there, though, as four more tails flailed out one by one to join the other. Five tails now waved behind the half formed fox, swinging around as if wind socks at an air field.  
  
Dropping to his now fully formed fox legs, Naruto's face lengthened. A snout stretched from his face, his nose forming into that of a shiny black fox nose. Normal molars in a mear human lengthened and sharpened to that of a fox's and twice as deadly. Those canines were shielded with his jaw, now a snarling maw that could snap steel in two.  
  
The body lengthened considerably, the pre-formed legs lengthening, no sign of his original clothing anywhere except burning shreads on the ground. Now taking on the full body of the fox, Naruto was a magnificent sight, if he didn't look so deadly as to scare the grim reaper himself.  
  
At the shoulder, he stood at least three and a half feet tall, half of Kakashi. His body stretched to a whopping six to seven feet, excluding the five tails waving behind him. However, he didn't look exactly like the full grown demon fox, but more as a regular fox and wider eyes that would look kind if they didn't seem to spit flames as they did now.  
  
Standing protectively over the body of Sasuke, the fox's eyes were hidden. The trembling stopping to a complete halt as all pain fled his body, the weapons embedded in his body long ago shot at least fifty yards away to embed themselves in a tree or fall into the water.  
  
Zabuza didn't know what the hell to think. He had no idea who Naruto was, though, now he couldn't help but have a mix of panic and fear seap into him at the mear sight of what could be the legendary demon fox. Shaking his head, he turned back to his fight with Kakashi......he could deal with the fox later.  
  
Kakashi wasn't fairing as well, though he hoped the fox would pay attention to Haku to allow Kakashi to defeat Zabuza and get the fox under control.  
  
Sakura was trembling as if an earthquake was going on. Naruto was the demon fox, the snarling animal that now crouched low to the ground, all five tails sweeping out behind him. How could this have happened? Wait.....didn't her mother say something about the fox never being destroyed? That was when her mother told her to stay away from the blonde blue-eyed boy. Matte......THAT was why! The fox was sealed inside Naruto......Sakura's eyes widened in realization.  
  
Is that Sasuke?!  
  
She now just recognized the body the youko seemed to be crouching over. Than maybe that was the reason the seal broke.......(Oo I am making her oddly smart in this story......)  
  
Haku was beyond thinking ability. What was there to do? He could not defeat the ultimate enemy! It was impossible, the Hokages combined could not defeat it! A mear boy like him couldn't even lay a scratch on something so powerful as that. While he was sitting here thinking of a way to even touch the youkai, it had millions of ways to kill him flashing through its mind.  
  
At this point the youko had regained its bearings, senses to their fullest and the inch long claws scraping the ground, testing. The crimson eyes leveled their gaze onto the most hated foe, the scared shitless Haku. Its lips pulled back into a sneer as it watched the enemy tremble in fear of his mear sight.  
  
It was time for some payback........  
________________________________________________________ Dude, sorry this may have been just as short as the last. I would like to  
ask a few questions. It would help a lot if an experienced writer would  
lend me a hand in creating italicized letters, bolding them, ect. I am  
having a hard time with this because I DO use the html things and it  
doesn't work. Thanx! Gawd I need a muse......  
  
Review? Please? 


	3. The Death of Haku

I hereby warn any and all who like Haku. This chapter will be a particular chapter that Haku fans may not like SORRY! *hands Haku plushies to the fans* Don't Leave!!!!.....HOWEVER! I am thinking of bringing back his soul to help defeat an enemy........

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It was time for some payback........

The fox's large muscles bulged visibly, though tawny fur tried to hide it. Turning, its body moved to face the hated foe. Sasuke lay silently beneath the mamoth animal, unmoving. This only seemed to enrage the fox even more, if it was so possible. 

Something akin to sorrow flashed through the eyes of the demon fox after glancing briefly at Sasuke but it dissapeared as soon as it came. Faster than anyone could blink, or even have a thought for that matter, the kitsune lunged in a jag of lightening. Naruto was a blur of fang, claw, and fur in the air and everything seemed to slow down for the onlookers.

Kakashi couldn't keep up with Naruto's movements....he couldn't. There was only one way to describe that kind of speed and that would damn fast. The mysterious fighter moved quickly enough but there was nothing he couldn't keep up with with his eyes, nothing.

Never have I seen something, anything that moves this fast.......There is at all nothing we can do to stop him if he doesn't recognize us. Any doubts I had in not defeating him have just been pulled out from underneath us. Our survival is now riding on Naruto. He MUST recoginze us if we are to survive this little encounter.

Sakura (you know, I think I should kill that guy, whats his name? The guy they're protecting, its not like he'll play any part in this anyway.......) stood stock still. One minute there was a three and a half foot tall at the shoulder fox standing over Sasuke and the next it was gone.........She began to search frantically for it only to find its inch long canines embedded in the shoulder of Haku.

(This part will get particularly bloody, so yeah. Fair warning)

Naruto, in his crazed state of mind, was enjoying the sweet taste of the blood in his mouth. Haku would pay for what he did to Sasuke. His claws dug themselves into the ground to gain a level ground. Without any effort at all, the youko flipped Haku at least fifty feet into the air as if he were a ragdoll, flecks of blood raining down onto the fox, speckling him red. 

Rearing onto its hind legs, it pawed at the air, snapping his open maw at the dropping form. Leaping like a hyperactive border collie chasing a frisbee, he deftly caught Haku by the arm, teeth raking his entire body as it was jerked to a stop. Screaming, Haku desperatly reached for the jaws, attempting in vain to remove those locked teeth from his painfilled body. As a dog with a rope toy, Naruto whipped the boy's body around like a toy. 

Haku was beyond tears at the moment, he was in so much pain. Dropping the body, the kitsune snarled, blood dripping from the deadly teeth, its hot breath causing slight burns on Haku's torn body. Taking a paw, Naruto swiped at the form beneath him, sending it flying into the side of the bridge, causing an audible crack on impact. 

Screaming to the cloudy sky, Haku's body was now literally a bag of bones and skin. Even the mask he wore had long since fallen off. The only thing keeping him alive was the pain he was experiencing. That was the only thing that kept his soul in the torn body for it was long since dead. 

Eyes glinting like red sapphires, the fox approached, one deadly clawed paw in front of the other, all five tails maliciously gliding behind him like a cape. Even it knew when one had enough pain, but Naruto wasn't done yet. The maw moved behind Haku's head to almost gently grab the back of his shirt. Lifting its head, Naruto mournfully walked slowly over to the motionless body of Sasuke, allowing Haku to swing freely back and forth from his closed jaws.

Upon seeing the the presumably 'dead' Sasuke, Haku desperatly wished he had never even looked at the boy. Then again, he would have never known in his inicial attack that Naruto was indeed the nine-tailed demon fox banished so long ago. 

The fox shook its head back and forth violently, shaking Haku and causing him more pain. It was as if Naruto had been saying 'no! no! bad fox kit!' to a younger fox, teaching it a lesson. Naruto seemed to be punishing Haku even further. The shaking stopped as Naruto was finished, and tossed the torn body of Haku behind him, where the boy was happy to just silently close his eyes in internal sleep.

Zabuza had had enough. He was shaking with pure rage at his partner (we all know you loved him! ADMIT IT DAMNIT!!!) being killed in such a way. His eyes were bloodshot as he grabbed his kunai visciously, leaping at the prepared fox. 

Naruto sidestepped daintly out of the way, catching one of Zabuza's legs in his iron grinding maw and swung him around in a 180 degree spin, more blood flecks speckling the fox. Smiling in a foxlike way, Naruto leaped, front paws smashing onto Zabuza, claws making deep gashes everywhere. Bringing his face forward, Naruto snarled, little blood droplets dripping onto Zabuza's shocked face. 

All this had happened in less than a minute, and Naruto had had enough. Snatching the demon up in his mouth, he flipped the broken body over the railing and into the ocean, never to be seen again. (hehe I like Zabuza better, so I made his death quick *ducks flying objects*) A small splash was heard on impact, water spraying up into the air as the sun set.

Across the entire setting of the sun was a mix of colors...............

.................. all related to a blood red. 

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I will admit it, this was a pretty short chappie, sorry guys. To all yaoi haters, this will be yaoi. This is my first time writing it but oh well! Most of my fans (^^ I cant believe I can say that truthfully) have already guessed the pairing. If you still don't know than it will come as a surprise! 

I would like to take the time to THANK my reviewers! You guys really boost my ego! I'm thinking about bringing Naruto and Sasuke themselves to do the author rant with meh...Dunno yet. Believe it or not I haven't decided how Naruto will change back yet.....OR the enemy. Here is your choice of enemy if you care to vote.... Itachi or an original enemy (where I introduce the enemy for lack of any other force of evil). THANX REVIEWERS! Keep it up! 


	4. The Aftermath

*ducks behind computer chair* I BEG FOR FORGIVENESS!!!I have been so busy with the fourth of July (hope everyone had a great fourth), my cousins coming over, and GRAY!!!! Gray is a little orphaned blue jay my mom's work friend found and letting me raise it so I can release him! WOO! Hope you enjoy the chapter.

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Kakashi was in shock. Never had he seen such carnage in a _long_ time. His hand was still in the same position as when Naruto had first struck. He hadn't even finished the seal, only half way through it when the fox had attacked Haku. The setting sun seemed to put an added effect to the fox as if gave it a reddish outline as it looked almost forlornly out at the ocean. Its five tails didn't wave as usual, put hung limp in a sense of mourning.

He would have felt sorry for the fox if he hadn't been overrun with a certain emotion. What was it called again? Oh yeah, complete and utter surprise. Dropping the scroll he was holding, he dared a look at Sakura, to see how she was fairing at her first sighting of a blood bath. Not to well. Her eyes had a faraway look to them, as in disbelief.

Can't blame her much.......this even had me shocked. Either that wasn't Naruto or Sasuke meant much more to him then we thougt, if that was what really caused him to loose control.

Sakura couldn't even look at the sleek salute against the pure red sun. Blood still dripped from its maw, its claws bathed in it. Nothing could have prepared her for this, hell she wouldn't have believed someone if they told her. She never would have suspected Naruto, the bright and cheerful outcast of the world, to hold the spirit of the legendary nine-tailed spirit fox inside him. A movement interupted her train of thought as the fox did a u-turn and walked towards the lying Sasuke slowly. 

One immense clawed paw infront of the other, the fox approached his lost packmate. The fire that seemed to light its eyes had simply gone out, replaced with a darkness of mourning. 

Its whole disposition reflected dispair. No longer did the adrenaline of revenge flow through its veins and the blood had stopped dripping from his mouth. Halting, it viewed over Sasuke, its eyes taking in every bit of him.

Reaching its head forward, he gently bumped Sasuke's side, making tiny whining noises as a mother fox would do to a dead kit. The ears flattened a little against his head and he nudged the boy again, a more pitiful and begging whine this time. Getting no response, the fox moved its head to stare at those closed eyes and a pink tongue (no blood on it) flicked out from the foxes jaws and gently licked the boy on the cheek, hoping to get a response. 

Tears that were never supposed to grace such a creature pricked at the edge of its eyes. Whining once more, it rubbed its head against Sasuke's face gently, the whining becoming evident to those around it, a low pitiful cry that went straight to those of the coldest hearts.

Sakura was about to cry. The fox had gone from an uncontrollable and insane demon to a crying lost fox kit. It was so touching to see the fox so broken up and so lost, she actually lost all fear of it and felt like running over to comfort it. However, she still had enough wit to not approach it. Tears ran down her face as the full force of Sasuke passing away hit her and she fell to her knees.

Kakashi was the least, relieved that the fox had calmed down. He, in addition, felt pity for the fox. 

It had the most pitiful look on its face as it caringly rubbed its head on Sasuke, as if that would wake him from his eternal slumber, tears falling from its eyes. The Sharingan user gently rubbed his eye, some dirt got in it or something.

Naruto continued to whine in that pitiful way, trying to wake the other boy. However, he just remained still and lifeless. 

The tears, mixing with the blood flecks on the youko's snout, fell from the crimson eyes of the fox, blood red as they fell to land on the emotionless face of a forever lost packmate.

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*sweatdrops* That was incredibly short......Well this was sort of a fill in chappie, sorry. I'll get to work on the next one straight away! Thankies to all me reviewers! *hands out Naruto plushies* WOO! Okies it looks like the enemy will be Itachi and Sasuke lovers, don't cry! He didn't REALLY die..........

Alaska over and out!


	5. Sasuke Returns

Hehehehe I can hear Gray calling for food.........Better go feed him.....

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Sasuke didn't know where in the world he was. It was dark, an endless cascade of black that one could walk forever in. No sound echoed through this vast emptiness but his own labored breathing. It occurred to him that he had possibly died, but then again, why would he be here? Shouldn't he be somewhere else instead of trapped here?

"Hello?" he tried to call out to someone in the giant darkness. Of course, nothing ansewered his call.

Sasuke was starting to get a little irritated and began to walk through this eternal foe. He vaguely remembered being in a fight with some guy named Haku.....Continuing to walk, he further explored what he _could_ remember before passing out. Naruto and him were in a fight with Haku....Naruto got injured and he had oddly felt the need to protect the punk while he was knocked out. Ah! AND he had taken the attack meant for the stupid fox-like boy....

_That_ particulary notion set his brain in order and vacantly rubbed the areas where the Senbon had pierced his skin. The wounds hurt in a distant sort of matter and for some odd reason, the needle weapons were missing. 

He had been walking for a little while now, still stumbling upon nothing at all. Sasuke was beginning to feel frustrated with this inability to know where he was headed. However, this all changed when he heard a low but commanding voice echo through the vast emptiness.

"You, I presume, would be Sasuke?" the tenor of the voice echoed through his mind a few seconds before Sasuke registered what it had said.

"What's it to you?" he answered cautiously and crouched to a defensive stance.

The voice only chuckled a bit before answering, "That would be a yes. Now onto buissness," the voice suddenly became serious, "In the last mere minutes of your 'death' the one known as Naruto has completely broken the seal that holds back the legendary Ninetails."

Sasuke had no idea what the hell the voice was talking about.

"The only notion holding back complete insanity is his intent to avenge your 'death.' You haven't died yet, but if a miracle doesn't happen soon then you very well will be. I have come with a proposition for you, Sasuke."

By now Sasuke had overcome the fact that there was this odd voice talking to him _and_ would possibly know where the heck he was. The Sharingan user decided to ignore the fact that it was a voice with no body to connect with that voice let alone a mouth. Besides, he was walking in complete blackness, anything could happen and decided to ask the first question that came to mind.

"Where the hell am I?" he asked the blackness, irritated. 

A sigh was heard, "If I answer this one question, will you be more cooperative and listen to what I have to say?"

"Possibly....." was the intelligent answer.

"At the moment, you are drifting in a state of half-living. Your mind is here, awaiting the signal to die because your body can't go on. Now, will you hear the propostition?"

Sasuke only glared into nothingness.

"I could bring you back to life with only minor injuries and you will be able to go on with life."

"What's the catch?" Sasuke questioned, still trying to locate the voice however, it seemed to be all around him.

"You would have to keep the fox in line."

"What fox are you talking about?!" the navy-haired ninja roared.

If the voice had a body it would have hit its head on the wall, "The boy known to you as Naruto had the Ninetails sealed inside of him at a very young age, right after he was born, because the Hokage could not destroy it. Never once had it broken until now. Naruto broke the seal in the pain of your death and decided to avenge it."

Sasuke was in shock, never had he suspected Naruto to be the fox. 

At the moment he felt like ripping his hair out at the frustration of it all.

"Now will you accept the offer? I haven't got all day you know........."

Once more Sasuke glared around him angrily, "What exactly do you mean, keep him in line?"

By now the voice was getting irritated, "Make sure he does not get out of hand because it seems that you are the key to his sanity, otherwise the fox would completely take over and cause a killing rampage. Now do you accept or not?!"

Sasuke sighed. At least he would get to stay alive......"Fine, fine........."

The voice would have smiled if it had a face. "Then it shall be done...................."

And with that the dark world around Sasuke dissipated and grew brighter until his eyes fluttered open to stare into the face of the Ninetails himself.

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What did ya'll think?! Sorry! I didn't mean for Sasuke to be so.....so......out of character. This was the only way I could think of getting him back alive and I do think it helped tie in the story a bit. I would like to clear something up with one of my reviewers. I DO know Kyuubi has nine tails. That is why he is called the Ninetails. There is a reason that he hasth five. Naruto isn't an adult yet, so therefore his fox form would match that of his actual age and match it with a fox age. He grows his a tail every few years until he has grown all nine tails. I just figured five would about suit up his age for now. O_o That was a bit confusing.......


	6. Sasuke's Alive!

Wow....I got a lot of reviews for that chapter....*bows to reviewers* PLEASE excuse my HUGE mistake in the Sasuke's parents part. I realise my mistake now and duely regret ever writing that part. I DID fix that and back spaced almost that whole paragraph. I am sorry to have made such a huge mistake and it has bothered me ever since. I am really and totally sorry. I will try to make this chapter long as a repayment. However, I only have two days to work with it so bear with me.

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The Ninetails, better known to the remaining group of ninjas as Naruto, was sadly getting ready to give up trying to wake his pack mate. The navy-haired boy just didn't move. Naruto could have yowled right into Sasuke's ear and it wouldn't have brought him to life. Two tawny ears flattened themselves against his head sadly. Sasuke wouldn't wake up, he knew that now.

Movement from the body infront of him caught the fox's attention. Those same ears swiveled around carefully, as if unsure. Naruto moved his head closer in for inspection, nearly nose to nose with the blue-haired ninja that was currently groaning.

Sasuke slowly opened his eyes, blinking when he discovered his vision was blurry. A brownish shape made its way into focus....and a wet black nose. He wanted to yell in surprise as he recognized that it was the Ninetails that was closely inspecting him. Those two crimson eyes seemed to widen in surprise to see Sasuke getting up.

Rearing back on his hindlegs, Naruto yipped happily. All five of his tails splayed out behind him, waving estatically. He slammed his forepaws down on the ground, his haunches high in the air (have you ever played with your dog and he kinda stretches his forelegs out and his haunches sticking up? usually his tail will be wagging? Thats what Naruto's doing....) in a playful fashion. The fox leaped into action and began running circles around the bewildered boy.

Sakura wanted to cry in relief when seeing Sasuke struggling to get up. Her first instinct was to run over and hug the living daylights out of him. However, she was still very wary of Naruto, or what seemed to be Naruto. She cautiously watched the five-tailed fox do somewhat of a little dance around the Sharingan using ninja. 

Kakashi finally moved from the spot in which he had been standing in since Zabuza had been slaughtered. Spotting Sakura, he made his way over. The jounin was unsure of what to do about the fox but he figured they were in no immediete danger. The Ninetails seemed to be busy being happy at the moment.

Sasuke didn't know what to do. He was supposedly supposed to keep the 'fox in line' and yet the baka voice never told him how. Sighing, he rubbed his eyes with his thumb and index finger. His body ached all over and he was just sitting up. Not to mention the fact he now had a happy five-tailed demon fox running circles around him at the delight of finding he was alive. He could feel a headache coming on.

Naruto wasn't quite finished with his galloping and continued after reversing direction. His pink tongue lolled out of his mouth as he halted infront of Sasuke. Five tails waved out behind him, bright red eyes shining with delight as he panted. Yipping, he sat down on his haunches and watched Sasuke try to stand up.

The navy-haired ninja was struggling to get up from his sitting position and refused to admit that he would need help. Noticing that Naruto had stopped, he stared up at the panting kitsune, almost glaring at it. However, Naruto was unfazed by this and watched intently. Sasuke growled in irritation and flopped back down. He suddenly felt tired. Everything was happening to fast. Learning Naruto had the Ninetails sealed inside him (that didn't kill his parents!) was bad enough but now he had to make sure he didn't go on a rampage and kill people. Sighing once more, the ninja ran a hand through his hair tiredly.

The demon fox seemed to notice this because he got up and walked over to Sasuke, intent on giving some help. He lowered himself to Sasuke's level and seemed to over his wide neck so Sasuke could grab on and heave himself to a standing position.

Sasuke only glared at the fox before reluctantly grabbing hold of a wad of tawny fur. He felt himself lifted onto his feet but didn't let go of all his hold, he didn't know if he could stand. The Genin wanted to smack himself for being so weak.

Kakashi and Sakura seemed to have summoned up enough courage to cautiously approach the two. Tazuna (I found his name!) wavered where he had been standing, untrusting of what was supposed to be that blonde haired punk. Sakura hovered somewhat behind Kakashi as they approached the almost pony-sized demon fox. Their sensei stopped a few feet from Naruto and studied him.

_He isn't full size, so I am taking that as a good sign. Though he isn't any less dangerous than before, he doesn't look like he wants to destroy the world. I suppose that he took on the size that is most suited to the age he is at now. _

Kakashi smiled, though no one could tell, and approached farther, ignoring Naruto's gaze. It seemed as if the fox recognized him because it almost sweat dropped when he simply did a casual wave at Sasuke.

"Glad you rejoined the living!" the tall ninja smiled again and patted Sasuke on the shoulder.

Sakura sighed at Kakashi and jumped at Sasuke, nearly knocking him over. 

"You're alive!!!!!!" she squealed and hugged him so much he almost lost his grip on the fox.

Sasuke reluctantly patted her on the back, wincing as she hit a few sore spots.

"Ok, ok. I'm fine. Can you let go now?"

Naruto seemed to watch this little antics with amusement, only somewhat proving more that he knew who they were and were of no threat. Though, he did nudge Sakura when Sasuke winced. That particular movement seemed to scare her a bit because she squeaked and let go, moving away a few steps. Naruto was somewhat hurt at this but didn't have time to dwell on it as he noticed Kakashi staring at him.

The fox cocked his head to the side, giving a look of confusion. Kakashi only smiled and patted him on the head before swinging around and walking in the direction of the Mist Village, Tazuna following closely behind. 

It took a few seconds for Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura to realise they were to follow. Sakura nervously scrambled after Kakashi, leaving Sasuke to deal with the fox. Naruto, however, had his own idea and somehow slipped out of Sasuke's grasp. Before the proud ninja could fall, he lightly grabbed the back of the boy's shirt in his jaws and flipped him onto his back. 

Sasuke was for one, irritated that he had to ride on the back of the fox, no matter how much he hated to admit that it was the only way besides getting help from one of the others. Naruto seemed happy enough about it because he trotted off after the rest of the group. However, he jerked to a stop, nearly causing Sasuke to roll off. 

Those tan ears swiveled forward in complete attention into the mist, his entire body going rigid. All five of his tails were stock still, his entire body going as still as a statue. Sasuke even noticed the hackles on his neck raised a bit. The fox stood like that for at least a minute before relaxing, obviously it was a false alarm. Sasuke idly wondered what it had been before grabbing hold of Naruto's ruff of fur as the fox bounded off after the rest of their team.

Unaware of the two reddish Sharingan eyes watching from the mist and slowly dissapearing as if it had never been there in the first place.

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HAHA! I little bit of the plot there. Sorry if it wasn't as long as you suspected but I only had one day to work on this. Yep! I went on vacation from the 19th-26th and I am very sorry for not having put up another chapter before then. Truthfully, I typed it that Friday and planned to post it but unfortunately ff.net was down and there was nothing I could do about it. Sorry! I would like to address one of my reviewers. Padfoot, I am not going to remove the last chapter, Chapter 5, because no one else requested this. I'm starting to get the hang of this html thing and hope to not stumble anymore. Thankyou to all my reviewers for politely telling me my mistake! Thankies!


	7. Naruto is Determined

*laughs somewhat evily like* Sorry Yoko, but my reviewers for the first few chappies requested Sasu/Naru and that was my original plan for this story anyway. I must say this IS my first yaoi and hope to do well. I will turn Naruto back to human sooner or later but his fox form is important to the plot, okays? One thing that may be confusing others, Naruto is in control of this form, but Kyuubi is somewhat forcing him to act how he _really_ feels so that is why or favorite fox is acting that way. 

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Sasuke was still a bit confused on what Naruto had been so nervous about. It couldn't have been anything too dangerous, because the fox just kept on going after confirming to itself that there was nothing to worry about. Then again, the fox was ecstatic that he was alive and could have mistaken an innocent sound for something of complete danger. Yet again, Naruto, in this form, had enchanced senses way beyond that of a normal human's comprehension. 

Sasuke resided in just trusting the dobe.

He _was_ still mounted on the pony-sized fox-baka anyway.

Which brought him around to the fact Naruto was indeed the Ninetails. For some odd reason, Sasuke wasn't bothered by this little fact about the blonde-haired ninja. In fact, he had _suspected_ that the dobe was out of the ordinary. 

Running over the facts, he counted that the boy healed much faster than any other living creature. He put weeks of healing into a matter of seconds. In addition, Naruto always seemed to be left out of everything going on in the village. Nobody liked the boy. To tell the complete truth, the people of the Hidden Leaf Village seemed to view Naruto as a monster. Iruka was the only one who could stand to be around him, yet the fox sealed inside Naruto had killed his parents. 

Well, maybe that wasn't entirely true, Team 7 could stand to be around Naruto. HE could stand to be around Naruto. He almost panicked at the realization.

Sasuke shook his head and decided not to dwell on it. 

By now they had made it to the town (I believe it is Wave Country, thats what the Naruto Anime Guide says....) and many of the villagers were openly staring at the navy-haired ninja mounted right behind the shoulders of a pony-sized five-tailed fox demon in the company of Tazuna, the builder of the bridge, and two other ninjas. Many villagers had dropped whatever they had been holding to make the sign against evil.

Others still just stared, gossiping amongst their friends. It wasn't every day that the legendary fox demon, young though it looked, walked on the dirt streets of their Hidden Village and the entire vicinity soon emptied to a ghost town. 

Naruto was beginning to feel like his usual self and was debating on why he was being so nice to the asshole. Not only had he avenged his death, but he had been happy when it was discovered that Sasuke wasn't dead afterall! Now the fox was wondering why he didn't have the heart to buck Sasuke off his back. There was no reason for it besides that the boy couldn't walk. Letting out a sound that was as close to a sigh as a fox could get it, Naruto continued his prolling walk.

Pretty soon he was even with Kakashi. The fox's shoulders reached up to the man's chest, though Naruto was highly pleased that the gray-haired ninja didn't seem at all nervous around him, even though he could kill him in one swipe or could crush him with a paw. Kakashi, though, spared Sasuke a look, as if to check and make sure he was fairing all right.

Sakura, however, was far more nervous then Tazuna, who had taken to spacing a good ten feet between him and the huge beastly fox. She would shoot a high-strung glance at the fox, watching warily, as if he would suddenly swipe out one of his massive paws and kill her. The fox's shoulders surpassed hers, nearly taller that her head. Her eyes could see over his shoulder, but only barely. 

She surpressed an urge to gulp and resolved to running her hands through her hair. Sweat rolled down her face in little droplets and she was almost panting from nervousness. Naruto almost wanted to whimper from the looks she kept giving him.

Sasuke happened to notice this and wanted to say something. He weighed his chances but before he actually did anything about it, Kakashi saved him the trouble.

"Something wrong, Sakura?" his one visible eye gleaming at her.

Sakura couldn't help but squeak, surprised, having been so tense. 

"No-nothing Kakashi-sensei...." her voice quivered a bit. 

Naruto visibly cringed before putting a little more space between the two of them. Unconciously, Sasuke patted him on the neck before mentaly slapping himself for it. Why the hell should he care if Naruto was upset?

This caused a little arguement to erupt into his head.

_But he _is_ the one providing a mode of transportation for you, obviously he feels something...._ his inner voice seemed to shout at him. 

Sasuke disagreed, he never asked for it.

_You know that you feel deeper-_ Now Sasuke was getting angry and stopped the voice in mid-sentence. He didn't have to listen to the ramblings of his inner voice, what was he? Was he going a bit crazy? Well, it seemed to be heading that way, he WAS mounted on a demon fox that had slayed thousands who was really his teammate AND that he, Sasuke, would have to make sure that old instincts didn't resurface.

_I feel the coming of a major head ache...._

Naruto, however, appreciated the comforting gesture before he also mentaly slapped himself. He was NOT going to give in to whatever the heck his heart was telling him, nope. Shaking his head, Naruto focused on where they were going and was surprised to find that they had arrived at Tazuna's home and Tsunami at the door, staring down at him. Inari clutched his mother's leg. The mere sight made Naruto want to whine at the fear that showed in their eyes.

Kakashi cleared his throat and motioned to Tazuna.

"He can safely continue his work on the bridge and our mission is complete," Tsunami didn't seem to listen as she continued to stare, horrified, at the fox standing on her porch.

The only thing that could cause anyone to recognize him was the forehead protecter Iruka had given him when he passed his test, wrapped in the same way it had been before he had gone to his fox form (I thought that would be a cute addition.....). The metal part of it rested on the left side of the fox's head, almost dangling. Naruto's fox ears kept the protected in place and no one had seemed to notice that it was still there.

Kakashi seemed to notice her shock and explained the situation lightly.

"Naruto seemed to have lost his seal and is now what you see in front of you, however he is still Naruto," Tsunami didn't seem convinced but thanked them anyway.

What did seem to sadden the fox was when she did not invite them to stay the night and promptly shut the door after Tazuna walked in. 

Flattenning his ears against his head, Naruto carefully turned around, so as not to knock anyone over and hopped down from the porch. Sasuke only barely managed to hang on after readjusting his grip on the ruff of fur he used to stay in place. Kakashi and Sakura followed after, Sakura a little farther behind. Sasuke unconciously patted Naruto on the neck.

After walking for a few minutes, Sasuke attempted to get down off the fox without Naruto noticing. Slowly, slowly.... He wouldn't walk/ride into the Hidden Leaf Village mounted on the Ninetails like some weakling! 

He swung one leg over the fox's neck carefully, for Kakashi and Sakura walked a bit ahead. Unfortuantely for him, the fox took that exact moment to trot a bit to catch up, causing Sasuke to loose his balance. Cursing, Sasuke prepared for the impact, trying to make it so he wouldn't land on his face. It never came.

Sasuke irritadedly noticed that he was now swinging back and forth, hanging from a certain idiot's jaws. Growling Sasuke twisted in Naruto's grip, trying to forcefully make the fox let go. Stubborn as ever, Naruto only lifted his head a bit higher so that Sasuke's feet couldn't reach the ground. Sasuke, now getting more angry, gave a nice swipe at the fox's nose. 

Naruto gave a yelp and dropped the boy, rubbing his nose a bit with his front paw. Sasuke landed ungracefully on his but. Lifting his head high in the air, Naruto trotted up to catch up to the rest of the group, offended and deciding that it was not worth it. Though, he did swing his head around to shoot Sasuke a look that said plainly 'Do it yourself, I'll be glad to watch you struggle.'

Sasuke only growled and took several seconds to stand up and several more to start walking shakily. He would stop to rest every few minutes, thus causing him to fall back ever farther. 

_I'm starting to regret getting off......_ Sasuke panted to himself, then quickly shook his head and walked on, determined, he didn't need anyone's help, especially dead-last's!

Naruto, by now, had forgotten his little grudge against Sasuke and sneaked a look back to see how he was fairing. The fox almost sweatdropped when he saw the boy struggling up the small hill they were climbing at the time. Dropping back, he paced himself with the navy-haired ninja. Sasuke didn't even look over.

Patiently, Naruto walked closer and closer to the boy, eventually so that Sasuke's hand would brush against his fur every time he would swing it. The fox couldn't help a triumphant smirk when Sasuke grabbed hold of ruff on his neck to use to walk faster. Leaf Village was approaching, Naruto could make out the outcropping of the village topping the rise. 

Sasuke didn't much care for his appearance anymore. He was dead tired and ready to go home to his bed. All that had happened was too much for him and a good nights sleep would clear out his cluttered mind. 

Kakashi and Sakura were the first to walk through the gate and into the village, Naruto and a weary Sasuke following soon after. The time being late in the afternoon, few people roamed the streets, most heading home to make dinner. However, the few people that were out and about stopped and stared, emotions running across there faces in flashes.

Kakashi knew that the people of Konoha wouldn't be happy to see the reincarnation of the Ninetails prancing through the village but he wasn't prepared when people began jeering and yelling rude comments in the fox's direction.

What really surprised Kakashi though, was when a few of the angry villagers picked up stones off the dirt road and began throwing them at Naruto, yelling at the top of their lungs.

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You know, I didn't really like that last part...It just sort of came to me....It wasn't described well but it will go good with the next chapter, angsty stuff for our favorite fox! Possibly a bit of Sasuke/Naruto stuff. Ain't much of that is there? Sorry, I'm new at this and I'm trying! ^-^

Alaska over and out.


	8. Naruto's Memories

Woooooooow......I got a lot of praise in that one. Special thanks to all of my reviewers, I love you guys!

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Naruto froze completely. The growing crowd was now shouting for the 'demon' to leave the village and never show its face again, or even to kill him. Memories bambarded him as fast and swift as the stones thrown by the angry villagers did. Memories of when he was little. Memories of when he had to fend for himself. One particular memory caught his mind, hurtling him to back when he was just a toddler.

_Naruto had barely managed to escape the market man in the Village. Holding his prize in front of him, he smiled. He wouldn't go hungry today. _

The fox happily trotted over to his favorite place, a large oak tree along the outskirts of a playground. Plopping down on the ground in front of the tree, he took a bite out of the bread. It was very good and freshly baked. Smiling happily, the four and a half year old savored the treat, he didn't know when he would be lucky enough to eat again. 

It was sort of like a ritual for him. He would attempt to get breakfast and then head for this park. Usually no one was there this early in the morning and that suited the boy just fine, then he could get his favorite swing! 

Finishing off the bread, Naruto noticed that there were actually people there, to his surprise. It must be later than he thought it was....Oh well, he could always play in the sand box.

Naruto unknowingly scampered over to the pile of sand. Happily, Naruto reached for a shovel and pail, he was going to dig the biggest hole ever! Smiling to himself, he began to dig a hole, dumping the extra sand in the small sky blue bucket sitting next to him. 

A young boy, about the same age as Naruto, noticed the blonde boy digging the hole. The navy-haired boy (XD who saw that coming????) _made his way over to the fox-like young child. Halting, he bent over and kneeled down in the sand._

"What'chya doin'?" the newcomer asked.

Naruto only just noticed the boy and smiled up at him, "I'm going to make the biggest hole in the world! Wanna help?"

The boy nodded and grabbed a nearby shovel, beginning to scoop.

"My name's Naruto! What's yours?" 

".....Sasuke"

"Nice to meet you! I don't get to meet many people, nobody is ever really around...."

Sasuke nodded and continued to dig.

Neither of the boys noticed that the park had begun to empty out, the mothers of the children shooeing them away and out of the park. Both boys continued to dig, making impressive progress for two very young children. The hole was about one foot deep now.

A woman approached, calling to Sasuke. 

"Time to go home, Sasuke. It is very late....." the woman, obviously Sasuke's mother, explained (I did look it up but they never told me when Sasuke's parents died....So I am assuming they are still alive for now).

Naruto was very perseptive for a four and a half year old and took note that it was barely late morning. This made him somewhat confused and hurt. It was as if not one person in this village could stand to be around him. He watched as Sasuke rose, brushing dust off his pants, waving to Naruto, and walking off with his mom. 

The fox reincarnated looked around the park, just taking notice that he was the only living soul within it. The empty swings swang back and forth through the wind. Sand whirled around in a small tornado in the petite sand box he sat in. Naruto sadly stared into the whole he had been making, no longer feeling like digging one. 

Tears started to prick at the ends of his eyes, for the first time he felt lonely, like he was alone in the world. 

The time when he realised that not one person in the entire village cared whether he lived or died.

Crying a note that sended much like a yelp, the fox bolted. He didn't know where he was going. The exit to the forest had been cut off to him (kinda stupid of those people, neh?) and he had took off in the only direction open to him. Naruto's mind locked onto the one location where he could get away...his home. It was the only place in which he could safely reside without the villagers following him. 

Nobody bothered the fox as he sped by, probably because it took them a couple of seconds to realise what it was and by the time they had regained their senses, the five-tailed fox was gone. Many people were unhappy and agitated, but otherwise didn't follow.

Panting with his pink tongue lolling out the side of his mouth, Naruto paused to sniff the air. In his panicked state, he had forgotten which way his home was. He spotted the familiar door only a few yards down the road. Taking off again in a whirl of dust, the fox shoved the door open, dissapearing into the house. 

Sasuke felt his hand wrenched away from his hold on the fox as Naruto bolted. Rocks followed the ninja's path along with the jeering. His stinging hand throbbed slightly as he continued to stare in complete and utter amazement as the villagers didn't stop their rant until Naruto had dissapeared around a bend. Nothing could have prepared him for that. 

Especially Naruto's eyes. 

Those red orbs had glazed over with a panicked, crazed, and terrified look. The fox's entire body had gone rigid. No longer did the former blonde give off that cheery feeling. The feeling that could almost get him to smile. Naruto was always happy and energetic and not once had Sasuke ever seen the boy so scared. 

Sasuke was left standing there with a look of disgust on his face as he looked at the villagers. 

In a deadly quiet voice, he spoke up.

"What has he done to you?" by now the village had gotten quiet as they turned to acknowledge Team 7.

This left the entirety of the village deathly silent. You could have heard a pin drop. Every single one of the villagers thought of this question, not one coming up with a decent answer. However, this didn't mean they didn't have one. 

One voice cried out from amongst the crowd. 

"He has got that accursed fox inside him! That thing slaughtered thousands! What's not to stop him from doing so again?!"

Sasuke's deadly glare caught the man's gaze and the villager immedietly shut up. 

"That is one thing you do not understand. Naruto is not the Kyuubi. Naruto is not a blood thirsty demon fox out to destroy the village. The fact is, none of you ever thought to ever take the time to learn if that was his plans."

Sakura, who had otherwise been silent, felt a bit guilty for her behavior towards the blonde haired ninja. The Naruto she knew hadn't changed, just his physical features. Now she felt like she had thrown stones also. 

Kakashi walked forward a few steps, expertly leashing his anger. 

"It is probably best if we find Naruto," the Jounin suggested.

Sasuke could only nod, trotting off in the direction in which Naruto had dissapeared. Sakura and Kakashi followed mere paces behind him. The crowd parted, still in complete silence. None spoke as the three ninjas ran after their terrified teammate. Cautiously, almost in shame, the mass of people slowly went back to their daily rituals.

Behind one of the poles holding the gate, a cloaked man smiled while watching the navy-haired boy defend his Ninetails teammate, his Sharingan eyes glinting with malice. Snickering to himself, he turned away into the concealing forest. 

This would be fun. 

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XD Another glimpse at the enemy! WOO! Yoko, I have a bone to pick with you. I TOLD you already, very nicely, that I would make this yaoi whether you liked it or not. This is fanfiction and I may write what I wish, and most of my reviewers requested yaoi. For someone who hasn't wrote a single fanficiton cannot and should not walk around telling other writers how to write THEIR story. Another thing, please do not be arrogant to me and strut around my reviews as if you wrote my fanfic and push me around. I don't care who you are, you aren't going to tell me how to write my fanfic. Flame me all you want, I don't care. I love to yell at people who tick me off. ^-^ 

Thanx to all my other wonderful reviewers! 


	9. Chp 9

I was taking a little break from writing fanfiction and took a vacation with my family, gomen! But when I came back, I noticed that the Naruto section was being overrun by het pairings! And with that, I jumped onto the comp. to give you guys the next chappie!

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Sasuke jogged as fast as he could without looking rushed. Sakura and Kakashi trailed loosly behind, following the silent Genin. Sasuke really couldn't get the look of panic out of his mind's eye. Naruto had really looked panicked. 

_It was more than just the villagers throwing rocks at him...Naruto wouldn't have gotten scared over such a thing. Maybe this has happened before. What could the villagers have done to that fox?_

Sasuke rounded a corner, glaring pointedly at one villager.

"Which way did the large fox go?"

The navy-haired ninja stood levely, looking every bit the rumors said about him. The villager looked about to protest but taking a second look at Sasuke he seemed to change his mind. Without saying a word, the villager pointed to an open door at an apartment towards the end of the dirt road. Other villagers turned to stare at Team 7. Murmers flowed through the group, though none saying a word out loud for the team to here.

Sasuke seemed to glare out of the corner of his eye. Then looked to the open door to a somewhat run down apartment. He strode toward it, stopping at the swinging door. Studying it, he took note that the scratches on the door weren't there for decoration, nor the large claw marks littering the living room. 

Kakashi seemed to appear behind Sasuke, the pink-haired ninja floating behind Kakashi. The silver-haired ninja ran his hands along the door and walked in, the navy-haired boy following close behind. 

Sasuke took note that the place was a mess. Ramen bowls and instant ramen packages littered the entire room. Ramen bowls sat everywhere, chopsticks and a little bit of ramen still left in them. Old milk cartons were scattered amongst the ramen. Sighing, Sasuke pushed a package out of the way with his foot and carefully made his way down the hallway, so as not to scare the fox further.

Sakura was staring at the place in what could only be placed as disgust. How could Naruto live like this? You couldn't even sit down on the couch....

Kakashi wasn't very surprised but remained where he was, stooping his tall frame to pick up the closest bowl to him and take it to the kitchen, which proved to be a bigger trash heap than the living room. Sasuke could handle Naruto. The tall Sharingan user was met with a towering stack of ramen bowls in the sink. Blinking with his only visible eye, Kakashi sized up his foe before deciding it wasn't worth it and stacked the bowl ontop of a plastic bowl on the table.

Sasuke steathily made his way down the hallway, peaking into each room. Not one of these rooms contained the oversize fox. One open door caught Sasuke's eye, hidden behind a corner. Approaching, the ninja gripped the side of the door and leaned around the corner, peering into the room.

Obviously this last room was Naruto's bedroom. Out of all the rooms, this one was definately the most tidy. The only thing out of place was a stack of blankets, two reddish eyes shining from amongst the pile. The tower was shaking all but violently, small whining sounds emitting from it every few moments. 

Sasuke sighed before walking the rest of the way into the room. 

The tower of blankets shivered, a lone tail poking out one of the ends before tucking back into the blankets. All Sasuke could really see of Naruto was the shiny black nose and an ear. Apparently, Naruto had attempted to dive into the blankets, rearranging them to cover his entire body. Sasuke could arrive at this conclusion through the fact that the frantic claw marks dissapeared about seven feet from the bed. 

Calmly, Sasuke moved towards the bed, making sure as not to send the fox into a panic. 

_How should I get him out of here? It doesn't seem like he wants to move...._

He decided on just trying to convince dead-last to come out. Delicately, Sasuke reached his hand out to the ear, stroking it, feeling the fox tense at the contact. 

"The crowd is gone now, you can come out, they won't attack you." Sasuke persuaded, looking into the fox's reddish eyes. 

Almost shaking its head, the fox curled into a tiny ball, eyes and ear dissapearing from view. 

"Kakashi and Sakura are waiting to see if you're okay," Sasuke paused, realising that neither of them were there to help, "Why don't you come out and we can sort out what we are going to do with you."

His words caught up with him and he thought about it. What WERE they going to do about a pony-sized fox that the entire village was nervous about? He couldn't just leave the fox here, something was bound to happen and it wasn't like Naruto knew how to fend for himself like a normal fox...

Sighing, Sasuke decided he would ask Kakashi-sensei about it when he got Naruto to come out and tugged lightly on Naruto's ruff of fur.

"Oi, dobe, are you coming out or not? I'll make sure the villagers don't throw stones at you...." the words came out of Sasuke's mouth before he could stop them. Blushing a shade of pink that was so light you really couldn't see it, Sasuke gave a small tug on Naruto's fur again.

Naruto's ears perked forward at the declaration. Did Sasuke really mean that? He would make sure they left him alone? The blonde haired boy doubted it but the look in the navy-haired boy's eyes when he looked at him proved he was serious, if not embarressed. Giving a small yip, he cautiously stepped out of his little cocoon and stood himself infront of Sasuke. 

The fox had a look on its face that plainly said it was ready to go. Sasuke didn't hesitate in walking out into the hallway, but he did have a smile on his face as he shoved his hands into his pockets and strode down the hallway with the demon fox pacing behind him. 

Kakashi's one eye turned to a slit as he smiled when the duo made their way into the room. 

"All ready to go?" the silver-haired ninja asked, motioning towards the door.

Sasuke nodded but Naruto seemed to realise something and turned back around, trotting back into his room. Before Sasuke could follow, Naruto had returned, a small fox plush held carefully in his mouth. 

The fox stuffed animal was a reddish tawny color, the eyes a deep red hue. Black stockings [1] made their way up to the plush's elbows. The black ears were larger than that of a normal fox and pricking forward in interest. Surprisingly, the fox was in pretty good condition, no tears or fake eyes, besides the fact that it looked much loved.

Sasuke stared at this show of weakness. Normally, Naruto wouldn't have brought out the toy while he was there. That 'attack' must have shook him up somewhat....

Naruto didn't seem to notice the lack of response from his teammates and sat down on his haunches to wait for Kakashi to tell him where he was staying. All of his five tails wrapped themselves somewhere around his front paws. 

_I, too, wonder where he is staying.....Not many people will take him in._ Sasuke wondered to himself.

_I hope Kakashi-sensei doesn't stick him with me, my mom will throw a fit...._ the pink-haired shinobi mused.

As if reading their minds, Kakashi smiled again.

"I believe Naruto should stay with Sasuke." the Jounin ordered more than suggested.

_At least than I can be sure Naruto is safe_ He snickered to himself as he walked out the door, leaving three rather surprised ninjas.

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[1]-Black stockings as if on a horse, not stockings as in a garment.

GOMEN! I have been so lazy.....It's horrible! Combine that with what other authors call a "writer's block" and this story was almost toast! FORGIVE ME! And then the fact I don't even come out with a long enough story is just downright horrible to my readers. I have just been having a hard time lately. I've taken in a lotta birds (4) and all of them have died for the reason they came to me (hit by car, attacked by dog, etc.). Even my precious Gray died recently...so ya. Hope you guys enjoyed the story. 


	10. Wow Sasuke's House is Clean!

Bah...I have been more lazy than before! Gomen! ._. There isn't even a reason for it this time. Sorry, hopefully this nice long chappie may cheer you guys up.

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Not a thing was out of place. Each item carefully positioned in its proper place around the house. Dust and dirt was nowhere to be seen, as the entire house was perfectly clean. 

That was the first thing Naruto noticed as he crept into the house, careful to make sure his claws were slightly retracted to not cause damage to the polished hardwood floor. The fox plushie was still delicately grasped in the otherwise deadly jaws of the tawny demon fox. 

_How can he keep his house so clean? _he thought to himself as he sniffed the air. [1] _Maybe this is what pretty-boy does with his free time. Still can't believe I'm staying here until otherwise._

Sasuke shut the door behind him, locking it; he didn't plan to leave the house until tomorrow anyway, not when it was evening already. Turning around, he watched Naruto inspect his house, sniffing the air and peering at non-important things, before strolling into his kitchen to make himself something to eat. 

Two red slitted eyes caught sight of a square box-like thing placed a few feet in front of the couch [2]. The tawny ears swirled around to perk forward in interest. Letting his paws take over, the fox seemed to stalk over to the 'box'. Peeking around to see if Sasuke was watching, Naruto began to sniff the object before pawing at it gently. While his clawed forepaw examined the 'box' it hit a small oval button at the bottom of the 'box'.

Curious, Naruto pressed the button before leaping back in complete surprise. The flat, glassy part of the 'box' had flashed and lit up, now showing an oddly drawn animal and a human run around the screen [3]. Staring at it, he waited for it to do something. Satisfied it wouldn't attack him, Naruto settled himself down in front of the TV, stretching out to a lying down position and gently placing his fox plush between his forelegs. 

Now the gray rabbit (he had discovered the oddly drawn animal was a rabbit) was dressed as some sort of lady and flirting with the hunter with the big hat. Naruto found himself laughing, which came out as a serious of yips [4], at the fact that the hunter was fooled into thinking the 'woman' was in fact his prey. 

From inside the kitchen, Sasuke resisted the urge to jump when that strange noise trickled through the open doorway from the living room to the kitchen. Striding over to the doorway, he peered out and had to resist the urge to laugh himself when he discovered Naruto watching his television. It wasn't everyday one saw a five-tailed demon fox, feared for what it could do, stretched out in front of a television watching cartoons. Add that fox plush into the mix and your in for a good laugh. 

"Found my TV, did you?" Sasuke wondered suddenly why he was being friendly before sighing and shoeing the thought away, he knew why, he just wasn't going to admit it. 

Naruto swiveled his head around from where the rabbit was running from the hunter yet again and cocked it to the side in question.

Sasuke resisted the urge to hug Naruto for looking so cute doing that. 

"The thing you're watching," he motioned to the TV.

The former-boy looked back at the television before looking back at the navy-haired boy and slid one ear back and one ear forward, cocking his head to the side once more.

"You've never watched a TV before?" the Sharingan user questioned.

A shake of the head was his answer.

Sighing, Sasuke ran a hand through his hair, what else had the boy missed out on? Even HE had enjoyed a little bit of humor when he was a kid. 

"So....what would you like for dinner?" he questioned before resisting the urge to smack himself. What a stupid question to ask the blond boy....

Those red eyes seemed to brighten up at the prospect of food and without thinking, Naruto shouted "RAMEN!" but all it came out as was a bark. It was rather loud and Sasuke reached up to rub his ears. Sheepishly, Naruto closed his eyes to slits, managing an odd looking smile and flicking his ears back. 

Sasuke nodded and strode back into the kitchen, reaching into one of the cabinets for a couple packs of Ramen, but not before letting a small smile slip through to answer the one Naruto had given him mere moments before.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The fox seemed to bounce as the chef called mealtime. Scarfing up his fox plush, called Kyuubi, he happily trotted into the kitchen, nearly dwarfing the table. Placing Kyuubi in a chair beside him, Naruto sat down on his haunches. Upright and sitting down, Naruto's shoulders were almost even with the table[5], the shoulders being a little taller. 

Naruto's pink tongue lolled out the side of his mouth in happy anticipation of food. Sasuke smiled to himself, though Naruto couldn't see, at the fact he could make the blond smile (he considered when Naruto panted/had his tongue out as a smile) even if it was because he made food, in time he could probably turn it to him..... 

He circled around the table to place a rather large Ramen bowl in front of Naruto before turning around to place himself across from the ravenous boy. 

Naruto felt his instincts kick in and he went to slam his mouth into the bowl for the contents. He restricted himself at the last moment, preventing the breaking of the bowl. Looking at the bowl sideways, the fox-boy flicked his tongue out and gave a lap to the Ramen. Moving his whole maw into the bowl, he grabbed a mouthful of the precious noodles before chomping them down, for once careful not to make a mess.

Naruto didn't notice that he was being watched as two dark eyes watched him. Amusement flickered in those eyes as he took awareness that Naruto was trying not to make a mess of the way he was eating, from pride or respect for the way he kept things clean, Sasuke didn't know, but it was nice all the same. In a matter of minutes (the bowl was VERY big) the large bowl was empty as the nin-fox sighed in content. Licking his jaws to catch any stray noodles and to get off any excess flavoring off his face.

Deciding to be a courteous guest, he fastened his mouth over the bowl, lifting it off the table and making his way over to the sink and dumped it in the already soapy water. Sasuke had to resist the urge to raise an eyebrow as he, too, dumped his smaller bowl into the water. Why was he being civil all of the sudden? He didn't know but he wasn't about to ask. Yawning, he strolled down the corridor to his bedroom to change into his p.j.s.

Naruto was about to grab his Kyuubi but a twig snapped in the front yard of Sasuke's house, effectively catching the fox's attention as he cast his eyes outside the kitchen window. A cloaked man was walking down the road. An imposing figure and rather tall. Flattening his ears back, Naruto trotted over and glared out at the man, what was he doing out this late?

Two red eyes, Sharingan eyes, turned to focus on the slitted ones staring through the window. Locking with the gaze, the man halted for but a moment before continuing his path down the dusty road, he had accomplished what he came for.

Naruto felt like he had been tossed into a frozen lake after staring into those eyes. He shuddered and further flattened his ears against his head. What had the man been doing? Why wasn't he afraid of him? Nothing answered him and he shook his head. Something to think about later. Maneuvering his body around, he grabbed Kyuubi before heading out into the living room, where the TV was still on and Sasuke relaxing on the couch with a book, in nothing but a pair of boxers and a white sleeveless tee that hugged his body nicely.

Naruto couldn't help the little bit of drool that escaped his mouth but it was unnoticeable from around Kyuubi.

Sasuke barely looked up as the fox sauntered into the room, nodding his acknowledgement, he went back to his book. Grinning a fox smile, Naruto positioned himself in front of the TV once more, eyes fixed on this "TV" once more. 

The navy-haired nin looked up from his book, inwardly smiling. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

If one looked closely in the living room of the Uchiha house, they would notice that the second bulky form was not, in fact, a couch. 

Curled up into a petite ball, reddish fox plushie and all, was Naruto. A pale yellow blanket with reddish swirls on it was carefully placed around the form, obviously by a certain other occupant of the house. All in all, the scene was peaceful.

Except for the look on the nin fox's face. 

It was a pained expression of one in a dream, or rather a nightmare.

_Blood red Sharingan eyes all around....Each having the mastery sign of three swirls to each eye. Each surrounding and cornering the shuddering fox. Murmurs echoed throughout the never-ending abyss. _

Naruto began to shiver harder, whining. The murmurs grew louder and the eyes grew closer.

Growling defiance to these eyes, half whine, Naruto broke into a run, the eyes ever following. Maniacal laughter soon accompanied the murmurs, only causing the nin fox to run faster. The molten abyss flew by as Naruto ran down the only path there was. Out in the short distance, he spotted something on the ground.

Suddenly curious, Naruto trotted forward (for he had stopped running) and examined the thing. Leaping back in surprise, than reeling forward to yelp in concern, Naruto immediately recognized the body of Sasuke, face down in its own pool of blood. Near the point of pure panic, the fox nosed the boy over onto his back, warm air blowing into the motionless face from the panting fox-nin. 

The boy didn't move at all. In fact, the bleeding seemed to only get worse, but from where, Naruto couldn't figure out, only causing him to go more into a rage of panic. Frantically, he searched for the wound, only to find none, his clawed paws now making splashes in the puddle. 

The eyes were upon him once more, chanting. Shuddering, Naruto placed his head on the boy's chest, silent tears falling from his blood red eyes. 

"You killed him."

"If it weren't for you, he wouldn't have died."

Snarling, the fox denied all the accusations, eyes wide in pure fear and panic. He was on his feet once more, tails flying out behind him in wide arcs, attempting to protect the fallen one. The eyes only drew closer, surrounding the panicking fox on all sides. The fox snapped, howling before all went black, the dream swirling away as Sasuke's living room replaced the endless darkness. 

Whimpering, Naruto scarfed up Kyuubi before trotting towards Sasuke's room, making almost no noise at all except for the clicks of his claws. Following his nose, Naruto turned into a room on his right, peering in. Almost immediately, with his nighttime fox eyes, spotted the unharmed sleeping shinobi. Naruto flattened his ears, unsure whether to wake him up or not. He was still shaking from the dream. Thinking about it made the fox whimper before he could control himself. 

Sasuke groaned silently before turning over, blinking his eyes open. Mumbling something incoherent, the boy rubbed his sleepy navy eyes and looked slightly sideways at the rather large form standing in the doorway. He took note that the fox seemed a bit jumpy and shaky and assumed a nightmare had been played out.

"Nightmare?" only a whimper was his answer.

Running a hand through his hair, he scooted over on his bed, motioning with his hand to the fox before turning over and supposedly falling back asleep. 

A bit surprised that he had actually been invited, Naruto didn't hesitate in trotting over. Carefully, he positioned himself in a tight ball on the mattress, his flexible fox back curled against Sasuke's. Kyuubi rested in between the fox's paws, next to the great head. The elongated tawny ears relaxed themselves against his head, though a fraction tensed, flicking every once in a while to listen for danger. His five tails were relaxed in a half-hazard way, one wrapping itself around his body to touch his nose, successfully covering his legs. 

Naruto felt himself relaxed in Sasuke's presence. It seemed as if nothing bad could happen with Sasuke around. Taking in a deep breath, Naruto engraved the smell of Sasuke, a good scent of clean muskiness that reminded him of fire, into his mind. Silently, he buried his nose into the sheet, slowly drifting off to sleep.

Out in the street, two Sharingan eyes sparkled with delight, his planted nightmare had succeeded in drawing the two closer together. Now came the easy part.

______________________________________________________________________________

[1]: Well, I thought it would be good to add a bit of foxness there. :)

[2]: I don't recall a TV in Naruto-kun's house....and it would add for a bit of humor there, so please don't flame me if I got it wrong. ^-^() It was for cuteness purposes only.

[3]: Bwaha, I do not own Bugs Bunny or Elmer Fudd. They belong to Chuck Jones (Bless his soul). By the way...it was for cuteness purposes ONLY. They certainly don't air the Looney Toons (Don't own) in Konoha Village....XD

[4]: Bwah, more foxness

[5]: Me using American table, not Traditional Japanese table.

Hope you enjoyed the chappie...Chock full of more fluff than the other chappies me thinks.

Alaska signing out!


	11. Weird Mornings and Chakra Training

*backs cautiously away from the reviewers waving pitchforks* Heh heh....uh...yaa...Here be the next chapter....*ducks behind computer chair*

Disclaimer: You know...I can't remember if I ever did one of these....Bad Alaska, bad! Alaska-sama does not own Naruto (if she did, Neji-chan would serve her pancakes in the morning and his lap be a seat cushion while she is typing new fanfiction XD). This proud and honorable fact belongs to Kishimoto Masashi. *bows down to him* Oh mighty Kishimoto Masashi, do not sue me.

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Sunlight peeked through open shades in the Uchiha clan house. Lighting up the room, one would be drawn to look at one large, tawny form curled up against another, much smaller softly snoring one. The first lump was about the size of a pony, five long fox tails sprawled out behind it, and one of them curled possessively around the navy-haired ninja's arm. Said ninja peacefully had his free arm draped under the demon fox's neck so it looked like he was hugging the other boy turned kitsune. Naruto, the rather ominous fox, had his head flopped between his two forepaws, Kyuubi lying between a forepaw and his head.

One ruby eye blinked open, slowly followed by the other one. The ebony pupils dilated to near slits after being met with the sunlight. A tawny ear twitched as the fox lay idly, taking in it surroundings. 

_I feel so warm and safe...._ Was Naruto's first thought.

_Hey, this isn't my room....and since when did I have fur and a snout?! _He panicked for a moment before it all came back to him in a rush. Haku, the fight, his 'seal' nearly breaking all the way, everything up to the return of that old geezer, Tazuna. _Oh...That's right...I'm the fox now._

The rest of the memories came back within seconds and the poor boy turned fox nearly shot straight out of the bed when he realized where he was and who it was that had the arms around his neck. What the hell had he been thinking?! Pausing to slow down his pounding heartbeat, Naruto realized it _was _pretty nice, those arms around his neck. Maybe he could sit here for a little while....

Unconsciously, he leaned back down, relaxing against the sleeping Uchiha. The movement caused a stir from the navy-haired shinobi and, still asleep, brought his upper hand off Naruto's neck and moved it to lay in-between the large ears. The slender fingers began to work their magic, rubbing behind the tawny fox ears, massaging them.

Whatever part of Naruto that was still tense relaxed instantly, floppy ears falling from alert to lying peacefully against his neck [1]. Any muscles that had still been taunt or uneasy became loose and the fox seemed to melt against the boy petting him. Infact, that scratching felt _pretty_ good...

_NO! Must not let him know its enjoyable (ah Naruto...Sasuke is still asleep....)! Must....not....purr! Resist!!!!_

However, Naruto's pleas with himself proved in vain when the inevitable purr rumbled up from his throat, sounding much like a cat's only slightly lower pitched.

_Stupid fox traits...I'm not even related to a cat, much less to have traits of one! I didn't even **KNOW** foxes could purr..._

Disgruntled, Naruto maneuvered his paws to stretch out, claws flexing. Stupid fox and its stupid traits, stupid Sasuke. He wasn't about to sit around and be coddled, nope not him. Now just to wait for the him to move...Takes too long! Naruto deviously lifted a tail and tickled the back of Sasuke's neck with the tip end of it.

Sasuke shifted, lifting his arm for a second to swat at the offending tail. The fox-boy took his chance, rolling over and gracefully landing on the floor.

The other boy settled back down, a slight frown adorning his features when he noticed the absence of the warmth. Naruto felt a little bad as he watched Sasuke's hands roam around the bed for a few seconds, searching for this 'warmth.' Moving forward silently, he nudged Kyuubi towards the form as a substitute. The hands grabbed the still warm fox plush and pulled it to the hands' owner.

Sighing, Naruto maneuvered around and silently walked through the open doorway. Leaving Sasuke to sleep peacefully, the fox pulled back his lips in a smile as he felt the odd sensation of his pupils becoming wider to accustom themselves to night vision, as the hallway was still dark. He fit through the passage easily enough, his tails wandering and brushing up against the walls. 

No pictures hung from the walls of the Uchiha clan house, in fact, the only pictures to be found were sitting-dusty-in the living room on a rather high book shelf in a corner, as Naruto remembered seeing them upon his arrival and had been curious. As this thought crossed the fox's mind, he made that his first exploration of his temporary new house. The hall opened into the living room, the tee-vee now black as he had first seen it. He wasn't interested in it at the moment, as he had a one track mind and was fairly determined to accomplish his mission.

The photographs WERE a _little_ high up on that shelf as the fox craned its neck upward at an angle. That was no problem for him though, one more use to the advantage of four legs rather than two! Bracing his forepaws carefully on one of the shelves, Naruto balanced on his back paws to gain the extra height needed to view them.

He peered at the pictures. It was of a family he had never seen before; a woman with black hair that went past her shoulders stood next to a tall man with the same hair color and hairstyle as Sasuke's. The woman was delicately holding a smiling infant with a tuft of navy blue hair. Naruto was surprised to recognize a young Sasuke as that infant. To him, he could see that it was Sasuke, but the boy in the picture seemed so much happier and carefree...Looking a little to the left, he cocked his head to the side at a boy who looked a little like Sasuke around the age of probably four or five, only his hair was pulled back in a low pony tail reaching to his shoulder blades.

The fox's long ears twirled to flatten against his head. It may have just been a picture and he could have been overreacting, but Naruto got a bad feeling from this one. He looked almost....evil, even though he was just a kid. The boy wasn't even smiling in the picture, more looking like he was bored and wasting his time just being with what Naruto guessed was his family. Infact, he looked almost ready to kill them all...

There was another picture of the same boy only a little older, about eight or nine with a young Sasuke standing next to him at the age of four or five. The young Sasuke was smiling in the picture, holding onto the other boy's hand while the other just stood there without a single expression on his face. The 'older, eviler Sasuke-brother' had the blood red pupils of the Sharingan in this picture, causing an even more ominous look about him. Naruto unconsciously sniffed at the picture, attempting to get the boy's scent to remember but only causing dust to rise from it and getting a sneeze from the fox. Come to think of it, all the pictures were incredibly dusty, never taken care of. Why would that be? Didn't Sasuke love his family?

"His name's Itachi," came a startlingly deep and somewhat saddened (or was it angered?) voice from behind, causing Naruto to jump.

The fox stared at Sasuke and then back to the picture and back to Sasuke. Why was Sasuke sharing this with him? Naruto got the feeling this went much deeper than he had first expected (sibling rivalry/abandonment) and felt a little special that he was the first one to be confided in about it. Sasuke had what looked like a struggle going on within, whether to tell the blonde ninja or not. 

_Why I am I telling him this? It is **my **revenge to seek and this past is mine to keep, so what am I doing standing here letting him know?_

A little voice in his head reminded him that Naruto had let him in on his deepest and darkest secret (even though it was against his will) and trusted Sasuke not to hate him for it. But this was his business, the boy didn't have a right to know...or did he? Though it really had only been a couple of days since the whole fight with Haku, they had become rather close, one could consider them friends at the very least. Hell, Sasuke really couldn't even call him dobe anymore without feeling a little bad for saying it. D-did he have feelings for him? Was this why he had felt protective over the fox these last few days?

The fox had an impatient look on his face, he wanted an explanation.

Sasuke shook himself out of his reverie and paused before taking a deep breath.

"He is my ambition," at Naruto's confused look, he continued, "remember the first day, when we met Kakashi-sensei and I said that my goal was to kill a certain man?" the fox bobbed his head before pausing and his eyes widened in realization.

Naruto caught on pretty fast, was Sasuke's only thought.

Those blood red eyes shifted from the picture to Sasuke and back again once more. His brother? Why would he want to kill, what Naruto guessed, was his brother? There was something else behind it all...this just didn't add up....but even Naruto knew his limits...that faraway furious look in Sasuke's eyes was enough to make him stop.

Seeing the discussion over, Sasuke turned into the kitchen to make some breakfast.

Naruto followed, completely forgetting about their previous discussion with the thought of breakfast. 

He found it an enjoyment (as he mused about his newfound form) to find his fox form to be of perfect balance. The days before, as he recalled with a sudden realization, hadn't felt any different aside from the fact that it had felt like he had been giving the orders and his body carrying them out and then a little added something on his body's part. The battle with Haku and Zabuza, well, he had intended to attack....but not in that way. It had felt like he had to rip them apart, an uncontrollable fury had overwhelmed him. Almost as if...nah that was impossible, wasn't it? The seal hadn't broken....

He decided to believe that the snickering he heard inside his head was just his imagination.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was odd, Sakura thought as she observed her other two teammates approach from the direction of the Uchiha house, that just a few days ago the two were at each other's throats, rivals to become the most powerful. Now they seemed docile towards each other, almost friendly. It was almost as if they had come to an understanding with each other after the Fight, as she had labeled the battle in Hidden Mist. The two (fox and boy) were walking evenly, with the occasional yip from Naruto as he attempted to strike a conversation with the silent shinobi that walked beside him and a playful snap from the fox as that navy-haired ninja called him a "dobe" [2]. 

Those elongated fox ears twirled forward as their owner noticed the pink haired ninja. Naruto barked a greeting to what Sakura translated to something along the lines of the hyperactive boy's usual cry of "Sakura-chan!" She plastered a half-smile on her face and waved, attempting to be friendly to the fox-boy. 

The girl had been somewhat frightened by finding that Naruto was the vessel for the ninetails, but when her mother had been worrying over her safety and insulting the boy at the same time (for gossip traveled fast and Mrs. Haruno had already known about Naruto turning fox before Sakura had gotten home), Sakura had been upset. Naruto was an idiot at times, but he was not a monster and would never do any of the things her mother accused him of.

Naruto seemed delighted his greeting had been returned but stayed at his own even pace with Sasuke. Said shinobi remained silent, staring straight ahead, neither moving ahead nor falling behind the fox but staying even with him when normally he would stay as far away from him as possible. 

Sasuke took up his usual spot of standing while the fox moved between the two and plopped down on the ground, slightly more close to Sasuke than Sakura, who was sitting on the bench. On his haunches, Naruto was happy to realize that if he didn't relax his head slightly and, instead, held it erect, that he was taller than Sasuke. He considered it an personal accomplishment, always being one of the shortest kids in the school. If the Uchiha noticed, he didn't say anything or didn't care.

They sat/stood like that for about fifteen minutes, completely silent. Sakura thought it an eerie change from the usual. However, she didn't have time to brood on it for long as Team 7's sensei had arrived in a poof of smoke.

"Gomen nasai....There was this little lost squirrel that couldn't find its home..." was today's lame excuse.

Sakura was glad for the break in the silence as the fox launched into a loud protest of barks and growls, completely unaware or not caring that no one understood what he was complaining about, or rather how he was complaining.

Sasuke found it amusing when Kakashi jokingly backed off, holding his hands out in front of him for protection while shouting he was sorry, all the while his one visible eye was closed in indication he was smiling.

It was a normal day of training.

------

That normal day of training began with Kakashi pairing Sasuke and Sakura together to spar and work on their skills. The tall jounin wanted to work with Naruto for a little and a promise from him that Sasuke and Naruto could spar after he was through. He wanted to see if Naruto could at least keep up with the ninja after his 'transformation.'

As the pink haired girl and Konoha's number one rookie walked off a little distance to give space (the whole time Sakura squealing and happy she had been paired with Sasuke and Sasuke rolling his eyes for lack of a better opponent), Kakashi turned to the fox. Naruto was still balanced on his haunches, those haunting crimson eyes watched him curiously. A hint of blue shined in flecks in the sea of red, giving comfort to Kakashi that the seal was still there.

"Ok, Naruto," the silver haired jounin started, "the Chuunin Exams are going to be approaching soon and I have asked permission from Hokage-sama if you could participate...."

After the words 'Chuunin Exams' Naruto had begun to fidget, a couple of his tails twitching or wagging in anticipation. That meant people from different villages, that meant fights! He had heard of the exams, and he had looked forward to them since he was little! It was about as important to him as his graduation!

Kakashi found this all amusing but continued nonetheless.

"He agreed, though wanted me to warn you that you will be the target for a lot of fights and..."

He found that his pupil was only half-listening and not a word registered anyway. Kakashi could read those eyes and guessed Naruto was imagining himself as the only Chuunin to pass and beating Sasuke in the final round, in which he was. Sighing, Kakashi cleared his throat, catching the others attention.

"Anyway, he said yes you could, despite your current state but you will have to be on guard. But right now I want to work on your chakra control. I am unsure if you can use any jutsu in this form. For now, I want you to try the tree exercise we were working on our last mission."

The fox nodded to show he understood what Kakashi had said and turned to look at the tree Kakashi was now motioning to. It was rather large, bigger than what they had been working on, much bigger. In addition, to that, foxes didn't normally climb trees. He could almost feel (but he ignored!) what felt like discomfort and disgruntled growling at the back of his mind. Those tawny ears seemed to flatten against the vulpine head.

Cocking his head to peer at Kakashi, he looked pathetically at his sensei, a silent plea in his eyes. Kakashi's only response was to motion once more to the tree with a slight chuckle at his attempt. Sighing, Naruto once more turned reluctantly to the tree, eyeing it up as if it would rip itself out of the ground and come after him.

"I suppose it would be best to take a running start..."

The only response Kakashi received was a low snort and a glare.

Naruto tensed his muscles, ready to spring forward. Without warning, he started off, not at a full run or he would get up the tree without using chakra due to his claws impacting on the tree. Jumping for the tree, he reached into his inner coils to harness his chakra and send it to his paws to stick him to the trunk and get up the tree.

Before he even had his forepaws on the tree, he knew he could make it no problem.

Sasuke had flattened Sakura in their spar after the first few minutes and was now perched on a rock, watching Naruto go for the tree. Shock almost made itself evident on his face as he watched the fox easily go up the tree. The blonde had enough trouble with _two_ legs, let alone four! But here he was walking (_walking!_) up the tree that must have been twice the size of the ones in Mist!

Sakura was staring dumbfoundedly as Naruto plopped down happily on a thick branch near the top.

The fox was just as surprised as the others. However, when he had reached for his chakra, he had noticed a difference, a big difference. It was a whole lot easier to handle it. 

Instead of having to struggle to find it and "drag" it to where it was supposed to go (as was normal for him, he thought that was how it was supposed to be, hard), it had come to him and had flowed easily to his paws without a problem.

Then again, who cared? He made it no problem on his first try!

His lips curled back and his tongue lolled out in a vulpine grin. Those large paws slid forward and he slid down into a lying position. In short, he looked much like a relaxed cougar lounging in its favorite tree.

Kakashi smirked, as he had suspected. Because Naruto had the Kyuubi sealed inside of him, as he grew his two different types of chakra clashed. The fox chakra (for some of it had slipped through the seal at various intervals in time and not causing any real upset), being much stronger and being more in quatinity then Naruto's own chakra, had all but completely overrun or destroyed the normal chakra. This explained Naruto's ability to use higher level jutsu rather than lower, he used both types of chakra rather than dragging one through the mess of fox chakra. However, the fox chakra worked opposite in smaller amounts and became uncontrollable in little bits unless trained to use it as so....or a suitable/original body to flow it in. Naruto in the fox form allowed him to flow it easier, either from the chakra being used to the fox body or the fox was helping him now to direct it, which was highly unlikely.

Well, it was both, really. Sure, the murmurings of Kyuubi were helpful (though Naruto refused to believe there was a voice in his head and began to think it was his imagination pulling off these helpful hints) every once in a while, but it all came back to the fact Naruto felt very much at home in his new body, it didn't feel at all uncomfortable or hard when he summoned the chakra. He had gotten used to trying so hard to harness his yellow chakra coils but he had wondered if it was normal for it to be so difficult.

In this body, however, he could freely use just fox chakra for anything easily, there was no remains of his original chakra save a small coil too petite to see with even his eyes special fox eyes. He was lucky he wouldn't really have to be trained in using minute amounts of chakra, as this new form had done what training would have accomplished in his human one. In short, Naruto was rediscovering what it was like to first use chakra at all.

"All right, you've proven that you have mastered this exercise, come down Naruto," the silver-haired jounin called.

Gracefully, Naruto seemed to slide off the tree, falling for a moment before landing on all four powerful legs on the ground, almost catlike. He had a satisfied fox grin on his face, his eyes bright with an inner pride in himself to be able to do this without hesitation.

"Well it seems that you have mastered controlling chakra enough. It is a wonder how you have improved so much in so little time, I congratulate you," at this Naruto smiled even more at being praised, especially because it came from Kakashi, "Now lets see how you can work some jutsu...."

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[1]: Dude! Have you seeeeeeen Kyuubi's ears? They're huge!

[2]: If you are reading Naruto fanfiction and still don't know what this means, you really shouldn't be reading it....XD 'Dead last'

Heh...uh...I didn't like this chapter much....*cowers at reviewers* Alaska is very sorry! There is no excuse for my laziness, I didn't have writer's block nor did anything bad happen to me other than an extreme case of laziness, and the fact that lately a lot of the fics I keep an eye on aren't updated.... Um...^-^() Hope you guys can find it in your hearts to forgive me...

Dude, I thank Narutoguide for the wonderful information they have, helped me out a lot. You guys should check out that humor section....*snorts* Candy Country...Oh man that was hilarious. Read all about this sugary country and its inhabitants such as Fat Bastard, Hairy Sakura, and Gaara of the Dessert. Read about its enemies, the A.F.W.O.E. (Abolish Fatsos Wrecking Our Environment) and Rock-a-Lee, from Vegetable Country and a part of A.F.W.O.E.

Oh...and Kitty-chan heh...you keep thinking that....

Welcome to about the middle/closer to the end rather than the beginning. From here it should pick up some speed a little bit. I have a few ideas on how Naruto will do his jutsu...just have to work on some of the quirks. I will try to get the next chapter up a little faster.

Gomen nasai


	12. Eyes and Tails of a Demon

Mah, I felt kind of bad leaving you guys like that, but I needed to take a break of Sasuke, his quest for power, and his indirect cause of Neji's probable death. Consider yourselves lucky that I didn't drop the idea altogether and throw Naruto in with Gaara or someone.

* * *

"Well it seems that you have mastered controlling chakra enough. It is a wonder how you have improved so much in so little time, I congratulate you," at this Naruto smiled even more at being praised, especially because it came from Kakashi, "Now lets see how you can work some jutsu...."

Well, this was it. The end of his line of success so far in this damn fox form. Jutsu. He had enough trouble with his hands, but now they had been taken away. He could try using his paws, but, having no opposable thumbs, would prove useless. The only other option would be to train himself up to not having to use hand seals at all, which would take forever, and tons of training, something Naruto was not yet prepared to do.

Kakashi stared at him patiently and motioned for him to show him a jutsu.

Naruto shook his head shamefully.

Kakashi just continued to watch him before lazily motioning for him to continue and turning around to discuss the spar between Sasuke and Sakura and how they could improve (for Kakashi, the ever talented ninja who can read manga and fight at the same time, had watched their fight).

Naruto was _not_ to happy at being dismissed so easily and was about to snarl a remark before he was interrupted.

**_Boy...._** it hissed, low and malicious in his head.

What the hell?

_**Listen to me...**_

Had he gone insane? Frantically, to no one's notice, he looked around, trying to spot the owner of the voice. Then it struck him. That same voice. Stronger then the murmurings, but the same voice nonetheless. It could be none other than the Kyuubi. It had been _him_. It had been the Kyuubi. Naruto wanted to kick himself for not realizing this before. Wait...Why should he listen?

A growl.

_**Because, brat, I am the only one who can inform your puny mind on how to do jutsu in MY form.**_

However, Naruto scowled.

_How do I know that you don't wish to cause some mayhem, hm?_

_**You're smarter than you look, brat. However, I can't do much while you're awake and otherwise healthy. Aside from that, it is embarrassing to see you struggle in your stupidity and otherwise mar my reputation.**_

Before Naruto could ask HOW he could possibly ruin the damn fox's reputation, Kyuubi interrupted him.

_**Alright, brat, I'm going to share some of my knowledge with you because it is too tedious to explain such things to a mere human. All you have to do is open your mind to it, which shouldn't be too hard for you...**_ (1)

Naruto felt the sudden surge of newfound information. Shocked, he merely stared in front of him, not believing that the fox was actually helping him. Why?

**_Stupid brat, do not question me. Just accept the gift. Repay this blessing by performing a jutsu and stop looking like an idiot!_** (2)

Snorting, Naruto rolled his eyes at the fox's impatience. He'd have a talk with him later. Anger fought its way to the surface once more at the sight of Kakashi's back towards him. Naruto would show HIM.

Delving into the recently acquired knowledge, he discovered that all he had to do was move his tails a certain way for different types of jutsu (ninjutsu, etc.), focus his chakra, and announce the attack, whether it be in his head or in the form of barks an growls (3). With a surge of intelligence on his part, Naruto figured that for each tail he had, the more power or jutsu he could have or do. Naruto liked this idea.

Searching his mind for a proper jutsu, Naruto settled on his favorite.

"Sakura, in short, I believe we could work on your overall strength so that you may build up your chakra reserve a little more. You never attacked Sasuke."

Whether or not that had been intentional on Sakura's part was unsaid.

"And you, Sasuke, did quite well. I don't believe I have any suggestions except to work on chakra control a little more, I saw that kunai slip off-" Kakashi was interrupted by a grinning five-tailed fox appearing in front of him.

Kakashi sighed. "Naruto, I thought I told you to work on jutsu, not interrupt me."

The fox merely continued to smile, looking to his left and right.

Kakashi followed his gaze and discovered two identical copies of said fox-boy on either side of him. Further investigation proved that another guarded his back. Team 7's sensei's one visible eye curved up in a sign that he was smiling as well.

"Good job, Naruto. However, I must say I'm surprised. How did you manage to do that?"

An exasperated look from Naruto caused Kakashi to laugh.

"Woops, forgot you couldn't tell me."

Rolling his eyes, Naruto sat down on his haunches, his doubles subtly disappearing in puffs of smoke. Looking around, he spotted Sasuke looking at him, impressed to say the least. Sakura was staring at Sasuke (or rather his southern region), who had his back turned to her. Naruto felt the sudden urge to snap at her. However, he was stopped from doing so when Kakashi announced that Naruto could now spar with Sasuke.

Nodding, Naruto trotted to a safe distance, Sasuke following. Squared off from one another, they stared, waiting for the other to move. Silence covered the area. Except for the wind whistling and a few birds chirping, not a sound was heard. Naruto was becoming impatient and was controlling the desire to strike first.

_**Remember, brat! The first to strike is the first to lose!**_

They had been playing the waiting game for a few minutes now. Kakashi and Sakura had taken seats on the rock Sasuke had been sitting on, having gotten tired of standing. Sasuke was beginning to lose his own patience and, figuring Naruto hadn't really gotten any better than when he had last fought the boy, quickly whipped out several kunai, hurling them at his opponent.

Naruto, not really paying attention, had gotten hit with one in the shoulder, having realized too late that Sasuke had begun the fight. Shaking off the pain, Naruto quickly ripped it out of his shoulder with his teeth, throwing it aside and leaping out of the way to avoid more kunai. Satisfied that Kyuubi had already healed the wound, Naruto put his speed to work and quickly caught up with Sasuke.

Sasuke, surprised, was slammed into the ground when the fox pounced on him. However, before he could retaliate, Naruto had already leapt off him, disappearing in the high canopies of the trees. Jumping back into ready position, Sasuke analyzed his position. He was up against a giant five-tailed fox. Fast, dangerous, and the fact that it was Naruto made Sasuke rethink his plan. Obviously Naruto had gained a few more surprises other than the fox form he now sported.

Damn, this wasn't going to be easy.

Time to bring his Sharingan into play.

Sharingan activated, Sasuke scanned the area around him, concentrating his hearing for the slightest rustle of leaves. He barely avoided the pounce from behind but recovered quickly and sent a roundhouse kick to the fox's side, sending Naruto into a nearby tree. Recovering, Naruto leapt back up and snarled a warning probably not far off from 'bastard.'

Regaining his footing, Naruto surveyed the situation quickly and making a hasty decision, leapt straight for Sasuke, claws extended. Sidestepping, the Uchiha, not really thinking on what he was doing but rather focused completely on beating his opponent, quickly did a few hand seals.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

And flames erupted to life to smack Naruto in the face head on. A yelp of pain made Sasuke feel a pang of guilt, regretting his decision to use the jutsu and causing pain to Naruto.

_No, this is a spar, we're going to get hurt. Nothing to worry about..._

Naruto was visibly shaking as he violently wiped at his eyes with his front paws. Tawny fur was singed all over, some bits still smoking and on fire. Luckily, it looked like demon fox fur was pretty hardy and didn't burn the skin too much. Finally, Kyuubi's healing talent kicked in enough that Naruto could stop rubbing long enough to look around and make sure Sasuke was at a safe distance. Blurry at first, his vision was slowly clearing.

Shaking himself, Naruto took the element of surprise and unconsciously swung one of his tails in a vicious whip-like manner. Tornado winds surged forth and slammed into Sasuke, throwing him into a thick tree with force enough to make a body-shaped print on it. Caught off guard by this particular move, Naruto stared, reveling in this new source of power that didn't need 'hand seals' or a name. _His own ultimate defense._

Sasuke, meanwhile, had cracked his head against the tree pretty hard and could feel the beginnings of a nasty headache coming on. However, he couldn't give up. Struggling to stand, he saw sparkles in front of his eyes and the tiny flow of blood on the back of his head. He felt his Sharingan give out as he shook his head to rid himself of the pain. Bad idea. Now he was dizzy as well as painful. Growling, he reached into his belt pocket and pulled out a few shuriken, tossing them with lightening speed at Naruto.

Naruto, however, had been ready for such an onslaught and, deciding to experiment, whipped one of his other tails. With a burst of smoke, the shuriken caught fire and burnt away into ash before they even touched Naruto. Reveling in this defense, he sat on his haunches arrogantly, fully able to see Sasuke now.

However, he noticed that Sasuke looked a little different. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he knew something was definitely wrong with what he was viewing. Maybe the burn to his eyes had messed them up in some way...

_**No, it is a bunshin. Notice how you cannot see the faint chakra lines around his body.**_

Kyuubi's help had come just in time as Naruto went on full alert and caught the Uchiha's arm gently in his mouth as Sasuke went to punch him. Sasuke was quite surprised, but quickly figured those demon eyes of Naruto's were somewhat like the Sharingan. The grip on his arm tightened, bringing a prick of blood from the sharp teeth.

All previous friendliness put aside, both glared at the other. Breaking the contest, Sasuke used his staggering lightening speed to grab a spare kunai and hold to the other boy's throat. However, at the same time, Naruto had let go of his hold on Sasuke's arm and had leaned up farther to lightly clamp Sasuke's throat in his jaws.

The resulting scene had caused Sakura to gasp and Kakashi to nod to himself in satisfaction. Rising lazily into a standing position, he held out his arm to indicate that the match was over.

"Draw."

Both boys held their tense position (still in their 'kill or be killed mode') a moment longer before relaxing. Twirling the kunai expertly, Sasuke placed it back in its holster in a well-practiced move. He stretched, wincing when the back of his head began to throb from the contact with the tree. Reaching back and touching the bump gently, he pulled back when he realized it was bleeding.

Naruto, in a fox-like act, stretched, his paws sliding forward in what appeared to be a bow before yawning, once more revealing the pearly white fangs lining the inside of his mouth. A scent caught his attention and he turned to Sasuke, who had a splash of blood on his hands. Whining, Naruto twirled his ears to lay against his back.

Although Sasuke had done pretty much the same to him, he still felt badly about it.

Hearing the whine, Sasuke merely shrugged.

"It's nothing."

However, Naruto still felt guilty and made it be known by staring at the other boy apologetically. Sighing, Sasuke rubbed Naruto's ears in an affectionate manner, successfully communicating that all was well.

Sakura just stared at the exchange.

"I shouldn't have used that flame jutsu to your face, I had forgotten that you may not be used to your new form quite yet."

The fox seemed to shrug before trotting over to Kakashi and Sakura, awaiting the "results." Slower, but with the same intention, Sasuke followed, absentmindedly rubbing the slightly bloody palm against the grass to get rid of the stain.

"You did quite well, Naruto. Nice display with the Kyuubi's power. However, you should learn to expect the unexpected. You were caught by surprise several times during that fight and a shinobi should learn to always be on high alert."

Naruto was proud of his progress anyway, besides, he had just received a draw with the almighty Uchiha survivor! Not that it mattered, but it was a nice touch.

Besides, now he could give Sasuke that excuse to have ramen again that night. He could think of it as a reward as a job well done for nearly besting him.

"Sasuke, you also did well. In an unusual situation, it was a good adjustment, especially with the bunshin, but same as Naruto, you need to expect the unexpected."

Sasuke nodded, and, deeming that training was over, turned around and began to walk home.

Naruto, realizing that he was being left behind, leaped forward into a canter to catch up, all the while scowling at the smirking Sasuke.

"You know the way back, dobe, don't throw a fit."

This comment sent Naruto into a fit.

_How dare he!!_

Dancing around the Uchiha survivor, Naruto barked and growled insults back, only causing Sasuke to smirk more.

"What's that? Oh I know I'm good looking, you don't have to tell me that."

This caused Naruto to stop completely, a completely blank look on his face. However, Sasuke just continued to walk, a little lighter in his step at the look on the other boy's face. Knowing that he had just confused the boy and not to mention irritated him to no end, he whistled a quick note.

"Come on, dobe, I don't have all day to show you back, since you have _forgotten_."

A quick yip and the sound of bounding paws behind him made him duck as the fox soared over his head. Unflinchingly, Sasuke continued his way home, albeit a little faster, creating a race between the two.

"Too slow!"

A growling acceptance to the challenge and the two disappeared into Konoha.

All the while, Sakura just continued to stare. And stare.

_**Why** does Sasuke act this way around **him**?_

She turned to Kakashi to ask the same question, but was met with nothing but empty air.

Sighing, Sakura slowly got up and made her way home as well.

Inside his cage, the immense form of Kyuubi paced, ears perked to something only he could see. Something was coming. And he had a feeling it was going to involve his host in a way he wouldn't deem comfortable.

* * *

(1): Kyuubi is making fun of Naruto by saying he has little brain control or something of the like.

(2): This whole time Naruto has been standing around doing nothing. Kyuubi feels that this is a bad image for himself (because Naruto has taken his form).

(3): By moving his tails slightly, I mean that Naruto could just crook his tail a little and that could be a hand seal to a fox.

I KNOW you guys aren't particularly happy with me, I wouldn't be either.

So, anyway, I'm sorry if my writing style changed at all....and if Kakashi was a little out of character, but I just wanted to focus on Naruto and Sasuke. However, I don't think I did that right either. Does it sound okay?

I'm personally going to kill this whole QuickEdit crap. Won't let me make a ten space indent to each paragraph....It looks so much better on 

Mah, if you are looking for the chapter after Naruto has a nightmare and whatnot, it is Chapter 11. I just accidentally posted 10 twice and replaced the extra with Chapter 11.

For all my old fans: Read the note all the way at the top. It should pretty much explain why I abandoned it for a long while. I'd like to apologize for leaving you hanging for so long. Though, don't expect chapters real often. I'm rather lazy.

To new fans: Welcome aboard!


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